A genuine gamechanger, Pulp Fiction, just director Quentin Tarantino’s second feature, has had an inestimable influence on American cinema over the last thirty years. Following his blistering debut with Reservoir Dogs (1992), his sophomore effort, co-written with Roger Avary (Killing Zoe, 1993) showed that this young tyro was no mere flash in the pan. From its Palme d’Or-winning debut at Cannes to its Best Original Screenplay Oscar, the film dominated discourse in a way that few do, whether for its resurrection of the career of John Travolta, its non-linear but easily discernible structure, its memorable dialogue and ubiquitous soundtrack, or its adroit blend of comedy and violence. Its interweaving narratives, each based on crime movie tropes, were the work of a supremely assured filmmaker, and the film remains as fresh and funny today as it was on release.

Notes by Kevin Coyne